Bug Report - Other: Vortex.exe deleted itself?

[VortexFeedback]

Vortex Version: 0.19.1 Memory: 15.94 GB System: win32 x64 (10.0.17134) I think this coincided with a vortex update message. When I next logged into the PC vortex.exe was now missing. A download of vortex and instal corrected the problem (Did not loose loaded mods or profiles). I also checked Antivirus and couldnt see any indication of Avast doing anything with Vortex previously.

N.B. I checked Forums and looks like a few other users reported similar issues as well.

Reported by: tighey

[TanninOne]

Vortex can't delete its own exe, that's "physically" impossible. An exe can only be deleted while it's not running. So the only possible options are a) The exe was deleted by an external application, the most likely candidate is an AV gone "rogue" b) The installer failed to install the exe for whatever. Unfortunately the installer isn't our own software (it's a very well established installer software though) so we don't really get any information on what might have gone wrong during install. But the fact that Vortex can't even have been running at the time it's obviously no bug in Vortex. But even though we can only speculate on case b, the most likely reason is still that something external interfered with the installer. Maybe your AV wasn't actively quarantining the exe but it scanning the exe for viruses in the middle of the install might still have tripped the installer.

[mordananexus]

TanninOne - your response is NOT USEFUL. Person says x has happened - you respond 'no that can't be. its probably thing x over here which has the exact same result. Thanks. bye.'

An actually useful answer would just be e.g. you can install just the vortex.exe file or the uninstall vortex.exe file here*. But before you go install it - make sure you check your AV and set an exception for vortex.

I actually took the time to create a github account PURELY to comment because your response was so infuriating, dismissive and unhelpful. Some of us have upwards of 300 carefully balanced mods in vortex at any given time so this kind of event during what should be a routine maintenance is quite shattering. And you can't just reinstall vortex without removing all of your mods from it. It refuses to reinstall unless it finds the uninstall file in the system already. SO JUST PROVIDE THE UNINSTALL FILE AS A DOWNLOAD.

[TanninOne]

a) This is not a help desk. This is an issue tracker. The goal here is to report bugs and make enhancement requests with the purpose of making Vortex a better software, not to help individual users. I know this might not be what you want to hear but we are two developers vs hundreds of thousands of users, it's in no ones interest if we spend too much time dealing with stuff that could just as well be done in a forum or on discord where an entire community can help you.

b) "this kind of event during what should be a routine maintenance is quite shattering. And you can't just reinstall vortex without removing all of your mods from it"

That is blatantly incorrect and I have no idea where you get this. You can install, reinstall, overwrite, uninstall, leave alone for 500 years and then reinstall Vortex without losing your mods. Vortex - the application - is installed in c:\program files, far removed from your mods and application settings. When you uninstall or manually reinstall Vortex that affects only the applications, mods are not removed unless you specifically do so and Vortex will always pick up where the last version left unless you, the user, mess with the data. SO WE DON'T HAVE TO PROVIDE THE UNINSTALL FILE AS A DOWNLOAD.

[jewelsonn]

IDK about your case, But Vortex was there in my PC yesterday while I was installing some mods late night and then shut down my PC. Today I freshly started my pc where I left off and found Vortex.exe and all their files missing Mysteriously. I don't know the reason why it happened. Antivirus doesn't detect vortex as any threat or any of it files.

I had to reinstall vortex again. The only thing I noticed in vortex installed folder is that the sub-folders existed and rest of the files were missing.

So My question is, "Is Vortex causing it to trigger an uninstall on itself after exit , shutdown or something?"

I had no such issue ever faced with any other software. So this could be a bug too.

Edit:

Noticed Update was on its way, So the probable reason for it to go missing is that it runs update in background and trigger some uninstall before we start vortex but fails to do that update because it deletes itself before it install itself? IDK weird bug.

[secjohn]

It just happened to me as well. The Vortex folder was still there, but the exe was gone. Reinstall seems to have fixed everything fine. I've been using it every day but haven't changed anything that could cause that. The exe wasn't recoverable either. So odd.

[A-Roso]

I just had this happen, too. Yesterday I got a message that an update is available but thought "meh, later" and shut down my computer after playing Stardew Valley. Then today Vortex.exe was missing, but all the other folders are still there. I re-installed it and all my mods/games were still there after the re-install.

[camnear]

This is still happening. Just happened to me today. Had and used Vortex last night, and it was gone (the .exe is not present) as of booting up today. I have no antivirus except windows defender, and it claims zero activity in weeks, let alone in the last 24 hours. TanninOne is incorrect. It is somehow removing itself, whether he believes it is possible or not.

[Vegasands]

This issue or something simular has been since 2019? This is now 2023. I am currently looking for a solution myself. I installed the latest version of Vortex and the screen came up right after and it seemed everything was ok. The Game I had it to manage was present mods still present. A message stating as soon as I close Vortex it would update it and not to disconnect my pc till it was done. I clicked OK the message box disappeared and the Vortex icon was left on my desktop but when I clicked on it the shortcut no longer worked because the file or folder connected to it was empty. I searched for any Vortex files on my pc and I found most of the files for vortex as well as some hidden files were empty including the Blacktree folder . Vortex appeared in the programs and features list in control panel before closing but after clicking in the update box it was no longer there. The second time I uninstalled my steam game. Made an exception in windows defender before before clicking in the update box and it made no difference. I did this a third time, This app is uninstalling itself the moment you click to ok the update process.

[TanninOne]

@Vegasands Yes, when you update Vortex the installer will uninstall the old version, then install the new one. If something goes wrong in the installer, you're left with a broken install. But as I said before, the installer is not our own software, we have no way of affecting or investigating problems while it's running. That installer software, NSIS, is very well established though and has been around for ages, there is no fundamental problem with it such that it would make sense to move something else. Like it or not, you have to figure out what sets your system apart from millions of others where it works just fine. This is not a bug, this is not something we can fix.

[jewelsonn]

@Vegasands Yes, when you update Vortex the installer will uninstall the old version, then install the new one. If something goes wrong in the installer, you're left with a broken install. But as I said before, the installer is not our own software, we have no way of affecting or investigating problems while it's running. That installer software, NSIS, is very well established though and has been around for ages, there is no fundamental problem with it such that it would make sense to move something else. Like it or not, you have to figure out what sets your system apart from millions of others where it works just fine. This is not a bug, this is not something we can fix.

In that case, just don't do background installation and let user manually install updates. Request user to update and quit the manager. It's probably happens because of windows permission error. And as they say, if it's not a bug, it's a feature. 💁🏻‍♂️

[TanninOne]

The installer is exactly the same as you would run manually, there is no reason to assume the problem wouldn't have happened if you had started it manually. The advantage of doing it in the background is that you as the user don't have to sit around and wait for the download and then run the install and wait for that to finish, the only thing you have to do is not shut down your PC for a moment.

And I'd like to point out that we have over a million users having done potentially hundreds of updates. When a problem like this happens to you it may seem like a big deal but if you look at how often this got reported it probably happens a handful of times per year, this is 0.000x% territory. This either means its random and extremely rare or the mechanism is perfectly fine and there's something exceptional about the affected system. Either way, it doesn't justify changing the mechanism, making it less convenient for the remaining 99.999x% of updates. Especially when we can't be sure that that will then be more reliable.

[Vegasands]

I used a previous version of Vortex before the new and updated version was uploaded and had no problems with it. I just recently downloaded the new updated version when this issue occurred. I searched the gaming community and found others experiencing similar issues and most comments were to check Github for an answer so I did. I found 1 who had experienced the exact same issue. After reading the reply given concerning the problem he or she was having my understanding, it is impossible for such an occurrence to happen but it does and it did. How many times it occurred or what caused it to happen does not negate the fact that it happened. I do agree that there are apps for whatever the reason will not run on a pc. I myself had trouble running the Latest Frosty mod app. It runs perfectly on my Dell desktop but not on my Asus laptop, why anybody's guess. Frosty at least left the option to continue to use the older mod manager unlike EA who caused massive chaos with their new desktop app performing uninstalls and installs back to back and no option to decline or exit any action. Windows where do you start? It has been known to be the silent killer of other apps. I say all this to say I am in no way suggesting a project be scrapped or pulled for as you say a handful nor do I believe I or anyone with this issue expect Github to troubleshoot their exceptionally affected system. I think the handful meant only to make the issue known and if by chance something or someone else read it and found something that worked for them they passed it on. I think that is what the gaming community is about. Players helping players? How can you receive it if you do not ask?

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From: @.> Sent: Monday, April 3, 2023 2:59 AM To: @.> Cc: @.>; @.> Subject: Re: [Nexus-Mods/Vortex] Bug Report - Other: Vortex.exe deleted itself? (#5171)

The installer is exactly the same as you would run manually, there is no reason to assume the problem wouldn't have happened if you had started it manually. The advantage of doing it in the background is that you as the user don't have to sit around and wait for the download and then run the install and wait for that to finish, the only thing you have to do is not shut down your PC for a moment.

And I'd like to point out that we have over a million users having done potentially hundreds of updates. When a problem like this happens to you it may seem like a big deal but if you look at how often this got reported it probably happens a handful of times per year, this is 0.000x% territory. This either means its random and extremely rare or the mechanism is perfectly fine and there's something exceptional about the affected system. Either way, it doesn't justify changing the mechanism, making it less convenient for the remaining 99.999x% of updates. Especially when we can't be sure that that will then be more reliable.

— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/Nexus-Mods/Vortex/issues/5171#issuecomment-1493782053, or unsubscribehttps://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AM6FNORVWHX3MYCORJVMT4TW7JYLZANCNFSM4IGOLFQQ. You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: @.***>

[TanninOne]

This is not a community page though nor is it a helpdesk. This is an issue tracker. We use it to track problems and suggestions that lead to changes in the application.

Any installation method will have some problem, replacing one issue with another one only makes sense if there is reason to assume that the new issue is smaller/rarer - which at this time I have to conclude it would probably not be. Hence this ticket is closed.

If you want to chat to other affected users, help others who encounter this or try to figure out what's causing this in your setup vs all the other ones where it works: great, but this isn't the right place for that. A forum or discord would be.